Mark of Ruin
by Lady of the Void
Summary: EdScar Edward must make a deal with death, but does he understand the consequences? Yaoi.


Ed was breathing hard. He had narrowly escaped the clutches of death yet again. It was all his fault, and that knowledge burdened his narrow shoulders. If only he had more time! He calmed his heavy breathing as best he could and darted around the corner. It was dusk. Edward had been pursued for more than an hour. The serial murderer Scar had chased him all through the backstreets of Central. Ed had tried to stand up and fight, at first. He had clasped his hands together in that all too familiar way. But it was an unrewarding fight and upon the destruction of his automail arm, Edward had been forced to flee. Eluding Scar had been painfully difficult.

Edward felt defeated. He had nowhere else to run to, and his legs were very tired. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an alley. Instinctively, he guessed that it would be a dead end. As Ed sprinted towards the alley with his remaining strength, he was amazed to see how humbled he had become in these moments before his death. He tried to control his fear, because he knew that his heavy breathing was a giveaway to his location. He, the invincible Fullmetal Alchemist, was hiding behind some crates in the back of a deserted alley. He could hear the ominous footsteps of his pursuer rounding the corner.

Scar's boots fell heavy on the pavement. He was getting closer to the small alchemist's hiding spot. Ed could feel the threat looming over him. Scar marched towards Ed's hiding spot in silence; his feet sounded heavily, full of power and ruin. Edward was petrified. Scar moved right in front of the crate and paused. He moved his cursed right hand forward, and then touched the wooden crate. Edward moved quickly out of the way of the jagged shards of wood that threatened to cut his fragile body, into the open.

Scar did not smile. Ever since his arm had been cursed with the power to destroy, he felt no joy in his mission. Now he had finally cornered the pesky (and quite powerful) Fullmetal Alchemist. He could see the boy bravely stand up from his crouched position. He knew it seemed that now was the time to fight or die. The petite boy swung a kick at him with his automail leg. Had it connected, it would have been deadly. Scar had evaded the attack and the momentum had landed Edward on the alley floor. With a simple touch, the automail leg dissolved into nothingness.

Edward was frantic. It would all be over soon. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look into the eyes of death. He felt a large hand on his cheek and he started to cry. He cried for himself, for the death of his mother, for leaving Alphonse alone in the world, and for being the ultimate failure and not returning Alphonse to his body. When Edward thought that his world would explode into color and dark and that he would breathe no more, he realized that he was still alive. Above him he could hear Scar's heavy breathing.

Scar stared downwards at the beautiful boy. He was a heathen; he had sinned against God. He had performed the ultimate taboo if humanity. And he was a state alchemist and a destroyer of Ishbala and the people of God. Still, the open purity of his tears were a testament to his innocence. Suddenly, Scar could not allow himself to simply blow the young alchemist's head apart. But, he had to be taught a lesson. He stared down and noticed for the first time that Edward Elric had ceased to be a boy and was in fact a man of 18 or 19 years. His torso with one arm and leg made him look like a sick parody of a person. His long blond hair was pulled back. Scar saw that as a travesty and undid the hair tie. Ed's long waves cascaded over his shoulders in a waterfall of light. Scar's breathing hitched dramatically at the angelic vision before him.

Edward opened his eyes to try to understand what had caused the delay. He saw the scarred man staring at him, with a ravenous look in his eyes. He felt his hair against the side of his face and realized that Scar must have untied it. Being considered good-looking in most circles, Edward had come to understand exactly Scar's look implied. He thought that screaming might scare Scar into abandoning his plan. He opened his mouth, only to be silenced by a hand.

The neglect that Scar had forced on his body had taken its toll. He reasoned that if all his anger and self-denial were satisfied in this one encounter he could continue his holy mission. He was no stranger to sin. "If you don't fight, maybe I won't have to kill you after all," muttered Scar in a gruff voice.

Edward heard, and his eyes went wide. He was not a stranger to sex, especially considering that he and Winry were engaged. But this was different. He would have no control over what happened. And he had certainly never had sex with a man, even though the rumor mill at Central had declared his relationship with that bastard colonel anything but platonic. That was all a lie. Roy had assisted him in his research and even helped him perfect his alchemy; this was what had puzzled the denizens of Central. They had noticed the more humbled attitude of the older Elric brother and assumed the worse.

Ed nodded, understanding that if he went along with it he could find Al a cure for his current situation. His jacket was unceremoniously ripped open. He could feel the thick fingers of Scar pulling at the clasps at the front of his shirt. Ed shivered as his tan torso met the scathingly cold asphalt. He was unceremoniously lifted and flipped onto his stomach. He could tell that this was going to be a very long night.


End file.
